Photo: Groupe de recherche en art du Québec · CC BY-SA 4.0Half of Stanstead is over 58.8, older than 99% of Canadian towns
9.2% of residents are under 15 (Canada’s towns: 16%). Statistics Canada puts Stanstead’s population at 1,171 for July 2025. Renter households: just over a tenth of the total. Fewer residents who moved in within the year than in 97% of Canadian towns: 5.7%.
What stands out about the people of Stanstead
A bilingual town
62% of residents can hold a conversation in both English and French, more than in 95% of Canadian towns; 26% speak French only and 13% English only. English & French ↓
Older than most towns
Half of Stanstead’s residents are under 58.8 and half over; the typical median across Canadian towns is 42. 33% are 65 or over, against 19% across Canada’s towns. Ages ↓
Common-law couples
26% of residents 15 and over live common-law, more than in 90% of Canadian towns; 42% are married. Couples ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
Stanstead sits above 95% of Canadian towns for bilingual residents (62%)
All figures are the 2021 Census’s unless another date is shown. Knowledge of the two official languages, first languages, and the language of home.
Can hold a conversation in · share of all residents
Mother tongue · share of all residents
Set against 66% across Canada’s towns, 31% of residents have English as their mother tongue in Stanstead. To put it in context, 7.5% of residents speak English and French across Canada’s towns.
A +11% change since 2016: faster than 84% of Canadian towns
Residents at the 2016 and 2021 censuses and the latest estimate, with the 2016–2021 change beside other towns.
Change, 2016 to 2021
Medians for comparison: +4% across Canada’s towns; +4% across Quebec’s towns. The July 2025 estimate adds another 2%.
In Stanstead, 33% of residents are 65 or over, more than in 96% of Canadian towns
Age bands of five years, the town’s bars against the typical town’s ticks.
Where 11% of residents are aged 15 to 24 across Canada’s towns, Stanstead has 7.4%. Across the comparison, 19% of residents are 65 or over across Canada’s towns.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
About an even split.
Stanstead households average 2.1 people, smaller than in 83% of Canadian towns
Private households by type and size.
Against Quebec’s towns and Canada’s towns
People per household
Canada’s towns.
Across Canada’s towns, the share of one-parent families is 8.2%; Stanstead has 5.5%. The share of one-person households stands at 30%.
More common-law partners than 90% of Canadian towns: 26%
Residents 15 and over by marital status; the census counts common-law couples separately.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
The share of married residents 15 and over trails 64% of Canadian towns: 42%. Common-law partners: 11% across Canada’s towns, for comparison.
A larger share of households in single-detached houses than 99% of Canadian towns: 98%
Occupied homes by type, by owners and renters, and by when they were built. Prices, rents and shelter costs are on Cost of living.
Type of home
Owners and renters · share of households
When homes were built · share of homes
Households in buildings of five or more storeys are rarer here than in nearly three quarters of Canadian towns. Across Canada’s towns, the share of households in single-detached houses is 64%. Newer homes outnumber old: 27% date from 2001 or later, 26% from before 1961.
Median household income here: $77,500 a year
The income year is 2020: a year of pandemic benefits such as CERB, which the figures count. Total household income: the median household, and the spread from low to high.
Households by income · share of households
At $77,500, the middle household in Stanstead earned 10% less than the median across Canada’s towns ($86,000). The median across Quebec’s towns is $74,000. Pandemic payments such as CERB reached 25% of income recipients here, against 28% in the typical town.
5.2% of residents are immigrants
Immigrants, newcomers and movers.
Immigrants, by continent of birth · share of all residents; the bar runs to 20%
When immigrants arrived · share of immigrants
Citizenship and moving · share of residents
With residents without Canadian citizenship at 0.9%, Stanstead is behind 91% of Canadian towns on that count. The largest groups of immigrants were born in Europe (67%) and in the Americas (33%). Fewer immigrants than in 81% of Canadian towns: 5.2%.
26% of residents said they have no religion, below 76% of Canadian towns
Visible minority, Indigenous identity and religion, as residents answered the census.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
1.3% of residents belong to a visible minority; across Canada’s towns the figure is 15%. The share of Indigenous residents stands at 2.6%. Across Canada’s towns, the share of residents with no religion is 35%.
22% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, fewer than in 62% of Canadian towns
From no certificate to a master’s: residents 25 to 64.
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
12% have no certificate, diploma or degree (typical: 9.5%). Against that, 27% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher across Canada’s towns.
An employment rate of 47%
Census day was in May 2021, mid-pandemic: some of these rates are lower than in a usual year. The census’s labour rates, in brief. Jobs, industries and the commute are on Work & commute.
47% of residents 15 and over have a job, against a typical 58% across Canada’s towns; 33% are 65 or more.
Stanstead sits below 1 of its 6 closest neighbours on median age
The nearest places, coloured by median age; each links to its own page.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stanstead | 1,171 | — | 58.8 | 33% | 5.2% |
| Ayer's Cliff | 1,284 | 10.6 km | 49.6 | 24% | 5.4% |
| Stanstead | 2,994 | 13.6 km | 48.8 | 27% | 8.9% |
| Magog | 30,764 | 15.8 km | 54.4 | 32% | 3.8% |
| Bolton-Est | 1,337 | 16.5 km | 59.2 | 33% | 6.2% |
| Austin | 1,959 | 17.7 km | 58.8 | 31% | 4.9% |
| Sainte-Catherine-de-Hatley | 2,938 | 17.9 km | 50 | 24% | 4.7% |
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Against Quebec’s towns and Canada’s towns. Each comparison is its own median: over Quebec’s towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500 or more, and over all Canadian towns of that size (whole cities and First Nations reserves left out). Percentiles are within Canada only.
- What these tables don’t give. Unpaid care, car ownership and internet access aren’t in the Census Profile, nor is the change by age since 2016. Ethnic origins other than visible minority and Indigenous identity are left out of the charts.
- The census’s own words. Indigenous identity, immigrant status and religion are as residents answered them. “Visible minority” follows the Employment Equity Act, meaning people other than Indigenous peoples who are non-white in colour or race. We compare these figures across towns; none is a label for a town.
Questions about Stanstead’s residents
Is Stanstead good for families?
Under 15: 9.2% (Canada’s towns: 16%). Couple families: 60% of households. One-parent families: 5.5%. Schools near Stanstead are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in Stanstead?
The median household in Stanstead took in $77,500 in 2020, against $86,000 across Canada’s towns.
What is the population of Stanstead?
Stanstead had about 1,171 residents in July 2025, Statistics Canada estimates; the 2021 Census counted 1,148, 11% more than 2016.
What is the average age in Stanstead?
A median age of 58.8. Children under 15 make up 9.2%, and people 65 and over 33%.
Is Stanstead bilingual?
English and French: 62% speak both (Canada’s towns: 7.5%). English only: 13%. French only: 26%. French mother tongue: 64%.
How diverse is Stanstead?
5.2% of residents are immigrants (Canada’s towns: 17%); 1.3% belong to a visible minority and 2.6% have an Indigenous identity.
What religion are people in Stanstead?
74% are Christian and 26% have no religion; 0.5% follow another religion.
Sources: Statistics Canada, Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population · Statistics Canada, population estimates for 1 July 2025 (table 17-10-0155). Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).